Rep. Tom McClintock was re-elected to represent California’s 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House, the Associated Press projected.

McClintock won against Democratic challenger Jessica Morse.

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California’s 4th Congressional District covers 10 counties, including the foothills and mountains east of Sacramento.

"The people of the Sierra Nevada have spoken," McClintock said during his victory speech Tuesday night.

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The people value their freedom, expressing it through their votes, he added. McClintock said the party in power usually loses seats in midterm elections, but he said the Republicans lost far fewer seats than usual.

McClintock said during his speech policy gridlock came from Democrats promising resistance.

"When we meet here two years from now, there will be an enormous amount of celebration," McClintock said, referring to the 2020 elections.

McClintock said the fight for freedom will continue in Washington D.C.

Forest management is a big issue in the district, which see wildfires almost year-round. The region covers several forests that include millions of dead and dying trees -- vegetation that can often become fuel for wildfires.

McClintock blasted regulations during the campaign for slowing down efforts to clear out dead trees.

“We’ve got to streamline the regulations,” McClintock said, adding it’s important that “we can get back to the proper scientific management of our forests before we lose them.”

Morse disagreed with his approach.

“What’s stale are these old binary approaches of saying, ‘Oh, you can either carry it out or burn it out,’” she said. "There are opportunities for grazing, starting small-scale logs, biomass facilities. There are huge opportunities in our forest for job creation.”